About the Collection

The West Virginia & Regional History Center preserves the largest collection of printed ephemera related to West Virginia in existence. Estimated to contain more than 100,000 pieces, the Printed Ephemera Collection includes pamphlets, brochures, isolated periodical issues, news clippings, event announcements and programs, and advertisements published primarily from the late 19th century to the present.

The foundations of this extensive collection date back to the early history of the West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC), a time when the quantity of such publications was quite manageable in comparison to today’s publishing output. In addition to Central Appalachia and West Virginia political, cultural, and social history ephemera, the Printed Ephemera Collection also includes some general, rare materials.

In 2006, the WVRHC began to create an online finding aid for the Printed Ephemera Collection which will eventually include bibliographic descriptions for all ephemera in the collection.